~Chapter Six~

April 7, 2016

Colten sat with his attorney in the large conference room waiting on Ava to arrive. He had only been back in LA for three days and he was already miserable. He missed the clean crisp air in Montana. He missed the incessant laughter and noise from his nephews. He missed talking with Justin about anything and everything. Most of all, he was missing Katie and he didn't understand why.

Colten couldn't get over how much Katie had changed in the last ten years. Physically her body was different. She no longer looked like a young girl. She was rounder, softer looking. Even though she had never been pencil thin, after giving birth six times she had a small belly. What surprised him is that neither she nor Justin seemed to care. After being around all the women of LA who were constantly trying to be a size zero, it was refreshing to see a woman who was comfortable in her own body. She cooked comfort food and ate it daily with her family. Her face had a beautiful sun kissed glow from working side by side with her husband. Her eyes had small wrinkles around them. She wasn't Hollywood perfect but to him she was indescribable.

Personality wise, she was different too. She wasn't as bubbly anymore, there was a more serious and mature air about her. She was gracious and kind even though Colten could tell it was hard on her having him there with William and Justin. She didn't laugh as easily either, but always had a loving smile ready for Justin or her boys. Colten knew her well enough to know that she always wanted to do what was right. Watching her interact with her family especially Justin, Colten couldn't help but feel jealous and long for that kind of relationship for himself. Colten was unsure how to handle these new thoughts on Katie but didn't have time to dwell on it as he turned to see Ava and her attorney enter the room.

"Welcome Mr. Sentinel and Mrs. Haynes, let's being shall we," Colten's attorney immediately started their meeting. This wasn't something Colten ever thought he'd be pursuing, he was requesting a divorce. Just the word left a bitter taste in his mouth, especially after watching his parents and Justin and Katie have a thriving marriage , but the alternative of living with a woman who despised him and cheated on him constantly made him swallow what was left of his pride. Colten watched with disinterested eyes as Ava and her attorney read over the settlement he was offering.

"No," Ava screeched about half way through the pile of paperwork, "absolutely not! I want the house."

"I'm sorry Mrs Haynes," Colten's attorney began before Ava interrupted him.

"It's Lockwood, Ms. Lockwood. And I don't care. I want the house!"

"Now, now Ava," Colten began in a bored tone. "Are you sure you want to fight me on this? You signed a prenup after all. The house was mine before we got married so it's mine now."

Colten watched Ava blanch at the mention of the prenup, the document specifically outlining what would happen if either party were caught in the act of adultery. He nodded at his attorney who slid the envelope containing not only the signed document but the photos of her and her numerous lovers, including Alex her latest love, towards Ava and her lawyer. Her attorney looked through the papers his frown darkening as he went through every page.  Finally he leaned over and began whispering in her ear.

"Fine!" Ava huffed in anger. "Just get this over with so I never have to see him again."

After that outburst the division of assets was rather easy. Colten agreed to split some of the art that the couple had collected during their short two year marriage and to pay a small settlement amount just to make Ava leave him alone. In return, Ava agreed to the lack of alimony and not to pursue any recourse after their meeting concludes that afternoon. Satisfied with the meeting, Colten's attorney assured him that all that was left to do was to file the paperwork and his marriage would be over. Shaking his hand, Colten left the building and started for his next errand.

Before he had left the K Rocker, he signed the paperwork Justin had sent him stating he had no legal claim to William and agreed to the sale of the ranch. He tried to argue with Justin that the price he offered was too high, but Justin refused to issue him a him a check for any less. Getting into his Mercedes S Class, Colten drove to his next appointment of the day.

"Colten," Franklin Edwards III, or Frank to his friends, a well known investment banker greeted his client and best friend with a handshake. "Good to see you. Come on in my office and tell me how I can help you."

After pulling the check from his pocket, Colten laid it on Frank's desk before sitting down.

"I want to open six trust accounts please," Colten said smiling at his friend.

"I take it that it's true then?" Frank questioned as he grabbed the check and sat back in his chair watching Colten.

"Yeah, its true. He is dying. It's unbelievable you know. I never thought it would come to this. I even offered to just sign the ranch over to him but he insisted on doing things the 'right and honorable way', his words, not mine."

Frank nodded and watched Colten closely. He knew that there was something that was troubling his friend.  "So, what's gotten you the most upset?  The fact that he's dying or the fact that he's purposing to get everything organized to take care of his family before he's gone?"

"I don't know," Colten answered looking out the window. "It's weird knowing that the K Rocker isn't my home anymore. With this check, I have no legal ties to it. Hell, I even gave up my son to him."

"Colten," Frank shook his head. "You gave the boy up years ago. You've even admitted that in the past. What's really bothering you?"

"Katie."

"Ah," his friend sat back. "What happened?"

"Nothing!" Colten exclaimed surprising himself with his loud declaration. "And I should be happy about that. Hell, I am happy. And then I'm not. I'm angry and sad. But!" Colten paused shaking his head,"more than that, I'm jealous. I am so damn jealous it's insane! You should've seen them, all of them. My son calls my brother Daddy and I let him. My girl tells my brother she loves him and I let her. I made this happen so I could become Colten Haynes movie star. And then I go home because he's dying and I watch them together and I hate it. I just, I just hate it." Colten finished on a whisper.

Frank didn't respond. He really didn't know what to say. He sat back and watched Colten as he stared with unseeing eyes out of the large windows of his friend's high rise office.

"Wanna know the worst thing?" Colten continued not looking towards Frank at all. "I left to prove to her daddy I wasn't the bum he said I was. I had asked him if I could marry her ya know?" Colten shook his head lost in his memories. "He told me no, that I wasn't good enough for his daughter. That I'd break her heart to have a fling. So, I left to prove him wrong. I was only gone a month before I proved her father right." Colten finished on a sigh.

"So, what are you going to do now man?" Frank asked watching Colten closely. "It sounds like you're still in love with her."

"I am," Colten whispered still staring out the window. "God help me, I am. And seeing her loving Justin, watching them share secret smiles and inside jokes. God, I thought I was going to die. It hurt me more than I realized." Colten paused and looked towards Frank. "That's why I want to use the money Justin insisted I take from the ranch and set up accounts for each of her boys. I know the two and a half million won't go that far for each boy, but I want to do this. I need to do this for Justin, but most of all for Katie."

"I understand man," Frank replied. "I'm here if you need me, you know I'll help anyway I can. But first, let's talk about what kind of trusts you want." And with that the men stopped discussing personal business and got began discussing finances.

Colten and Frank spent the next two hours discussing what Colten wanted for the boys and how he wanted the accounts set up. After another hour of paperwork Colten left Frank's office feeling better than he'd felt in a long time. He hadn't done right by his family or Katie in ten years, but he was going to do his best to try starting from this day on.

Not wanting to head home Colten found himself driving further away from the city, lost in his thoughts about Katie and Justin and how his life could've turned out. The growling of his stomach brought him out of his thoughts. Glancing at the time he noticed he had not only missed breakfast but lunch as well. Glancing around the unfamiliar surroundings he noticed a small mom and pop style diner and headed in for a quick bite to eat.  He found the restaurant almost deserted and was able to quickly slide into a corner booth.

"Here ya go honey, on the house," a kind older voice stated as the waitress placed a large piece of apple pie topped with a generous helping of whipped cream and a vanilla milkshake in front of him.

"Umm, I didn't order this," Colten said glancing at the older waitress with a smile. He was hoping that there was no fans around. Glancing to his sides he noticed the diner appeared empty.

"No, you didn't, I did," the waitress replied. "You looked like someone ran over your dog. This is my speciality. My husband Artie, God bless him, said that my apple pie and milkshakes were the best bad day and over thinking cure alls, ever. I'm Betsy." And with that she slid into the booth across from him.

Colten didn't know what to say. He just blinked at Betsy as she sat across from him watching him closely.

"Eat, boy," Betsy said pointing at the food. "And while you're eating, tell me what you're worrying about. "I'm a good listener and I promise not to interrupt too much." She finished with a chuckle.

"Um," Colten mumbled looking down at the plate. "I wouldn't know where to start." He ended that with a big bite of pie. "Oh my," he looked up at Betsy and grinned. "This is amazing."

"Thanks Hon," Betsy replied with a smile. "And the beginning is always the best place to start."

"Yeah," Colten said looking past Betsy. "See, it all started twenty years ago when my parents died." And with that Colten was talking. He found himself pouring his heart out. Betsy stayed quiet, only offering a hmmm every now and again. She watched Colten as tears gathered in his eyes as he talked about his mistakes and his regrets. She watched as he paused and stared out the window contemplating what to say next. Finally, she watched as Colten started to sob. It was then she moved.

"Oh Hon," Betsy said sliding over to Colten's side and gathering him into her arms. "Life isn't always easy. It isn't supposed to be sunshine and roses. We are all humans. We all make mistakes. It's how we learn and grow from our past mistakes that matter."

"Thanks," Colten mumbled as he gave Betsy one more hug. "It means a lot to me."

"No problem, Hon. Now it's past closing time for us. So, I'm gonna have to kick you out."

"Oh, umm ok," Colten laughed. He wasn't expecting that. He stood up and started to head to the door.

"And Colten," Betsy grabbed his arm and stopped him. "You won't find what you're looking for here. You need to go home to Montana to find your heart."

"You know who I am?" Colten stared at her incredulously. "How do you know who I am?"

"My granddaughter is a huge fan. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Betsy smiled and gave him a big hug, leaning over and whispering in his ear. "Sometimes we just need someone to listen to who we really are not who people think we are. You're not Colten Haynes movie star. You're Colten Haynes, cowboy. Go find him again."

Colten hugged Betsy back, nodded wiping the tears from his eyes. He smiled as she shooed him out the door, locking it behind him. For the first time in a long time he finally felt like he knew what he needed to do.